The Go! Team have come along way in the last 3 years. In fact, for those who aren’t aware, they have evolved from a one-man bedroom project into a collective very worthy of their name's exclamation mark. When you see this colourful, excitable bunch live on the stage, it’s hard to believe that much of their music began on one guy’s laptop, but that’s (pretty much) how it was. When Ian Parton produced the brilliant Thunder Lightning Strike, the next, not-so-logical step was to get a band together and turn the music into a live performance. Despite all the odds, they’ve done incredibly well and when I saw them last year, it was a highly memorable experience. Sure they’ve got plenty of novelties (constantly changing instruments, two drummers and a rapping lead singer named Ninja), but they’re bursting with so much playful energy that these things become huge assets. But what impresses me most is that despite undergoing such a massive transformation, they’ve somehow managed to remain true to the original spirit of the Go! Team name. It’s something that’s definitely worth commendation.

Thunder Lightning Strike (2004)

Despite my first reference to this album being about its apparent ties with the sport of skipping (or maybe because of it), Thunder Lightning Strike quickly became a favourite. It champions instrumentation without overdoing it and commands an army of samples to brilliant effect. It is music in its purest form. Not just songs, melodies or riffs, but rewarding, inspirational MUSIC. I’ve had many favourites over the years, but the song below occupies a special place in my heart after seeing it used very nicely in a ski movie during a video-editing phase of mine.

I’ll be quite honest and say straight up that I don’t enjoy this album as much as the last, but that isn’t to say I’m not incredibly impressed by it. I expected this album to sound like it was from a completely different band and instead, I was met with more great Go! Team. The rapping element of their sound isn’t too pervasive and the instrumentation still reigns. It definitely fits in with their live sound and will continue to fuel many shows into the future. I tried to pick a song that really captures this live energy of theirs.

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